(This is on the front page of today's Bee sports section, although I could not find it on the website and could not locate it on the Boston Globe website...)
Steve Kauffman puts the blame on Commissioner
David Stern in dealings
BOSTON GLOBE
Veteran agent Steve Kauffman had to hold back a laugh when he heard the NBA (1) broke off collective bargaining negotiations and (2) blamed the agents for the latest impasse.
"This whole thing has been orchestrated by David Stern," Kauffman said, referring to the commissioner. "This can be a very easy negotiation if Stern wants to put his ego aside and act like a normal personal. He's a very difficult person to deal with."
Kauffman said the league's insistence on reducing the length of maximum contracts from seven years to five could be a deal-breaker. And he bristled over the league's news release that blamed the union for going back on several agreed-upon positions.
"They were the ones saying there's no deal until everything is agreed on," Kauffman said. "You have the right to go back and forth. That's part of bargaining. The big question is, how do you go from something that seems to work well for everyone to total concessionary bargaining? But we cannot win a P.R. war with the league."
There are still nearly six weeks before the current CBA expires.
If there's no deal, there will be a lock-out, which likely would last most of the summer. The guess here is it will not come to that because 16 teams (and their players, coaches and executives) are scheduled to participate in a Summer League this July in Las Vegas.
Steve Kauffman puts the blame on Commissioner
David Stern in dealings
BOSTON GLOBE
Veteran agent Steve Kauffman had to hold back a laugh when he heard the NBA (1) broke off collective bargaining negotiations and (2) blamed the agents for the latest impasse.
"This whole thing has been orchestrated by David Stern," Kauffman said, referring to the commissioner. "This can be a very easy negotiation if Stern wants to put his ego aside and act like a normal personal. He's a very difficult person to deal with."
Kauffman said the league's insistence on reducing the length of maximum contracts from seven years to five could be a deal-breaker. And he bristled over the league's news release that blamed the union for going back on several agreed-upon positions.
"They were the ones saying there's no deal until everything is agreed on," Kauffman said. "You have the right to go back and forth. That's part of bargaining. The big question is, how do you go from something that seems to work well for everyone to total concessionary bargaining? But we cannot win a P.R. war with the league."
There are still nearly six weeks before the current CBA expires.
If there's no deal, there will be a lock-out, which likely would last most of the summer. The guess here is it will not come to that because 16 teams (and their players, coaches and executives) are scheduled to participate in a Summer League this July in Las Vegas.
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